Rendlesham Forest Incident

The Rendlesham Forest Incident occurred over a three-day span in 1980 and is also known as the British version of the Roswell UFO incident. It is disputed whether the incident first occurred on December 26 or December 27, although the witness statements suggest it was the 26th. Like the Roswell incident, it occurred in the proximity of two military bases, RAF Woodbridge and RAF Bentwaters (now abandoned), which were being used by the USAF, eight miles outside Ipswich, Suffolk.

Related Topics:
1980 - Roswell UFO incident - December 26 - December 27 - RAF Woodbridge - RAF Bentwaters - USAF - Ipswich - Suffolk

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An unidentified flying object was seen in the area. At first, servicemen thought it was a downed aeroplane, but upon entering the forest they saw many strange lights moving through the trees, as well as a blinding light from an unidentified object. Some U.S. airmen claim to have seen a conical metallic object suspended in a yellow mist hovering over a clearing in the trees, with a pulsating blue and red circle of light above.

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One eyewitness claims to have seen a triangular landing gear. The servicemen claimed that the object was clearly aware of their presence and backed off, forcing them to give chase. Later the servicemen were found in a dazed state, and local reports said that local farmyard and domestic animals had been behaving in a possessed state of fear and panic; some cows went on a stampede.

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The airmen were allegedly debriefed, threatened and ordered to sign documents that vowed silence, one even claimed to have been forced to sign a document claiming the UFO was a lighthouse beam; some reports suggest that they were reportedly ordered to stay quiet with the warning, "bullets are cheap".

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Some other local reports suggest that small beings with domed heads left the craft, and (twin) base commander Gordon Williams claimed to have made sign language communication with the aliens.

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The next morning, the servicemen returned with radiation detectors and found three small impressions in a triangle pattern that were radioactive. Later that night the lights returned, and nearby civilians witnessed the bright red, moving light in the forest. There are claims that the incident was videoed by the USAF but has not been made public.

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A short while after the incident, the deputy commander of Bentwater air base, Lt. Col. Charles Halt, issued the following report to the Ministry_of_Defence (MOD): "The object was described as being metallic in appearance and triangular in shape, approximately three metres across the base and two metres high. It illuminated the entire forest with a white light....As the patrol men approached the object, it manoeuvred through the trees and disappeared. At this time the animals in a nearby farm went into a frenzy. The next day three depressions were found where the object had been sighted on the ground."

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Some explanations for the incident have included a shot down Soviet spy device and a nuclear incident.

Related Topics:
Soviet - Nuclear

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The British Government has released files to researchers, but the United States continues to remain silent despite the SciFi Channel-sponsored investigation and Coalition for Freedom of Information inquiries.

Related Topics:
SciFi Channel - Coalition for Freedom of Information

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